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Establishment of District Metered Area to Improve Water Supply System

Project Summary

Project

The 50-year-old Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) serves a population of 12.5 million and manages 3,000 kilometers of network services in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The region’s 80 percent dependency on groundwater has been depleting the water table by 2 to 3 meters per year. The objective of this USD 212 million project was to reduce non-revenue water (NRW) by establishing hydraulic models with district metered areas (DMAs) to better monitor conditions.

Solution

DWASA used WaterGEMS to model the water distribution system, resulting in construction of an optimized pipe network based on three future supply scenarios: surface water only, groundwater only, and conjunctive use of two sources. The two-source option would reduce operating costs while maintaining water pressure and reducing water loss to less than 15 percent.

Outcome

Installation of a bulk meter and pressure gauge has enabled DWASA to remotely monitor pressure and flow within the DMAs. Field data is now transferred via SCADA and GIS, both of which are integrated with WaterGEMS to identify water loss. With a goal of reducing dependency on groundwater by 70 percent and NRW by 20 percent, the DMA implementation continues to reduce overall operational costs. Leakages and fraudulent connections are quickly identified and resolved.

Software

Direct import of the GIS database saved time in creation of the digitized water network. The WaterGEMS model was used to prepare pipe quantities and cost estimates for tender. Pre-construction, scenario modeling helped to optimize the pipe diameters and associated costs. Post-construction, model calibration helped to monitor pressure and flow in the field. Water hammer was also analyzed.

Outcome/Facts

Community and non-governmental organization interaction were crucial to ensure safety and security, educate consumers about the benefits of the rehabilitation project, and provide affected persons with 24/7 access to water trucks during construction.

Better access to a safe water supply will reduce the risk of contamination and disease caused by the discharge of domestic and industrial wastewater in open drains near water pipes.

Quote:

“Bentley software is very user-friendly, easy to operate, and saves time and costs on projects. It is a decision-making tool for engineers, and it helps to build the GIS database for the organization.”